In the past, toothpaste tubes commonly came in cartons, however new federal and state regulations and laws relating to the environment require less packaging for products to be sold to the consumer. Consequently, it is extremely desirable to eliminate the outer packaging or carton of the toothpaste tube.
One attempt to solve this problem of excess packaging is the stand up toothpaste tube, which is without a carton and is displayed vertically on the shelf. Since the tube is balanced on the small cap surface, and shelf space is at a premium in stores selling such products, toothpaste tubes are arranged very close together. The tubes can be very easily tipped over with the disadvantage that the brand name on the front panel may be hidden. Furthermore, customers, while reaching in to pick out a single tube among the closely stacked standing tubes will often cause many of the tubes to fall down on or off the shelf. Furthermore, this arrangement only allows a single layer to be displayed in the allotted shelf space. This is a drawback as it is well known in the trade that shelf space is strictly allotted in stores such as supermarkets and drug stores. Thus, it should be clear that the prior art standup tubes when arranged closely stacked vertically, are unstable. Consequently, the display is easily disturbed by customers when making a selection. Moreover, maximizing the allotted shelf space is not accomplished.